Chinguitte

6 november 2022

This morning a driver in a pick up picked me up at 6:30 from the Auberge. I was really touched when Zaida got up too to make me crepes and tea for breakfast.

The journey was brilliant - off road and through villages in order to pick up a women and her baby. I was dropped off at an Auberge in Chinguetti. Eventually ended up staying at Auberge Eden, 1000Rp for the room and 250Rp for dinner.

I spent the day in the old town of this ancient settlement too. This was a historic trading post bringing together trade from Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal and Algeria; salt, dates, gum Arabic, cloth, tea, silk/cotton. All transported by camel caravans until the 1970s when vehicles took over this role.

I was bothered by young boys in the streets of the deserted city. They were bored on a Sunday and found fun in hassling the lone tourists. I was rescued by Mariam, a merchant selling clothes, jewellery and trinkets. She made me tea in her shop and we conversed via google translate.

I ventured out later to visit the library of one of the elders in the city. He showed his collection of ancient books, and recited some old poetry. These libraries house ancient books documenting learnings in medicine, astronomy, philosophy, algebra, architecture, and much more. A dusty, chaotic collection of rare materials which one hopes is kept safe and sound within the renovated walls of this ancient UNESCO site.

In the evening, I ate a local dish of vegetables and spaghetti with Mauratanian sweet tea.